The Historic Environment Forum has published its report on ‘Shaping the Future of Heritage Skills and Careers: Insights from Skills Forum Live 2026’.
Historic Environment Forum writes:
Strengthening skills and career pathways for the historic environment is essential to sustaining the places communities value most. This year’s Skills Forum Live, delivered by the Historic Environment Skills Forum with support from Historic England, took place at Chester Cathedral earlier this month and brought colleagues together to build on this shared commitment. Established in 2022 to address the skills and career pathway challenges identified in the first edition of the Heritage Sector Resilience Plan, the Skills Forum continues to provide a vital space for collaboration and practical problem solving. This year’s event offered an opportunity to take stock, share learning, and shape a refreshed action plan that will help the sector build on its strengths and develop the skills needed over the next one to three years.
Setting the Scene: Local Context and National Collaboration
The programme opened by grounding the issue of heritage skills in both local realities and national priorities, creating a strong foundation for the practical conversations that followed. The Very Revd Dr Tim Stratford, Dean of Chester Cathedral, spoke about the skilled craftsmanship that underpins the Cathedral’s care, highlighting how conservation, operational needs, and the Cathedral’s wider community role are thoughtfully balanced in its day?to?day stewardship. Aisling Parrish, Operations and Engagement Manager for the Historic Environment Forum, set out how the Skills Forum’s priorities complement the Heritage Sector Resilience Plan 2025–2035, reinforcing its shared, sector?wide vision for stronger workforce and organisational resilience.
Phil Pollard, Chair of the Historic Environment Skills Forum and Heritage Career Pathways Manager, introduced the refreshed HESCAPE 1.5 draft, outlining its shift toward a shared, project?based delivery model. Amy Honsmerk and Ursula White of Historic England then led colleagues through an end?of?session activity that invited them to test the draft priorities in practice and offer focused feedback on areas for further refinement.
Sector Conversations & ‘How to…’ Workshops
A full programme of ‘How to…’ sessions formed the heart of the day. These workshops explored actionable ways to:
- Move FE colleges from interest to action
- Ensure your core business delivers against skills priorities
- Offer meaningful work experience with minimal hassle
- Source skills funding at a regional level
- Navigate apprenticeship bureaucracy
Each workshop created space to exchange approaches and identify opportunities for collective action. For many attendees, these sessions highlighted a shared appetite for more flexible approaches to placements, clearer pathways for new entrants, and stronger regional collaboration. Conversations throughout the day also generated insights into how the sector can better support itself. Themes included the need to embed skills planning into capital project design, the importance of articulating opportunities within major heritage programmes, and the value of clearer progression routes for people at every career stage.
